"watercress" news and stories

• Forget sushi takeout. Mark Bittman breaks down how to make it at home. (Hint: You don't need fish.)
• On the other hand, if you're sick of cooking (and need to lose a few pounds), try diet delivery.
• Moonshine: It's not just for hillbillies anymore.
• Pulino's Bar & Pizzeria is neither a bar nor a pizzeria. Discuss.
• "Watercress is yin." And it's in season.

Watercress might just seem like a staple for ladies who lunch on tea sandwiches, but it has a fascinating reputation in the health world. Legend touts its powers as an aphrodisiac, a cure for baldness and even a cure for hangovers.

I'm not so sure about its powers to grow your libido or hair, but I'm guessing that its reputation as a hangover cure comes from its high potassium content. Since potassium is a mineral, which can become depleted due to dehydration from overindulging on alcohol, it could very well be that watercress might just help to soothe that morning-after headache.

I see watercress more as a delicious, energizing ingredient in fast and fresh modern cuisine. When the weather warms up, cool drinks and chilled soups not only refresh -- they also provide great ways add nutrition, giving you more energy to enjoy long summer nights.

Get Jennifer's Watercress Soup with Strawberry Salsa recipe after the jump.

I never thought that much about watercress, that little green leaf generally reserved for salads and soup. Apparently some people think much more highly of it than I have. In fact, if you too would like to be a watercress buff, check out this site.

You can find out all about the Watercress Alliance, the 200th anniversary of the first watercress farm in England, and the National Watercress Week and Festival in Alresford, Hampshire, England. There's even an anniversary cookbook to go along with everything. Also, there are 100 recipes featuring watercress on the website. I had to look twice at some of the health and nutrition claims, though.

This is a great resource site for anyone who is curious about watercress. I realize that it's site set up by watercress advocates, but it's easy to follow and very informative. Plus, all the recipes looked really good.

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